Man who killed children in Merritt struggles with anger management: psychiatrist

Howard Alexander - News Editor

Allan Schoenborn is shown in this courtroom sketch during his trial in Kamloops on Thursday, October 8, 2009.

Image Credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Carl Doherty

May 24, 2017 - 9:00 PM

COQUITLAM, B.C. - A man found not criminally responsible for killing his three children because of a mental disorder is making slow progress but still faces serious anger issues, a psychiatrist says.

Dr. Marcel Hediger told a British Columbia Review Board hearing Wednesday that it's unlikely he would recommend Allan Schoenborn be granted supervised outings in the next year, saying he would need to see the man better manage his anger and get help to cope with his emotions.

The board granted the director of a psychiatric hospital in Coquitlam, B.C., the discretion to allow Schoenborn escorted outings into the community two years ago, but he still hasn't been allowed to leave.

"He does say he has a short fuse, but that is the extent to which Mr. Schoenborn acknowledges he has a significant management issue."

Hediger said he believes anger played a role when Schoenborn stabbed his 10-year-old daughter Kaitlynne and smothered his sons Max and Cordon, eight and five, at the family's home in Merritt in April 2008. Schoenborn has repeatedly denied that anger factored into the killings, Hediger added.

Two years after the children were killed, a B.C. Supreme Court judge ruled Schoenborn was not criminally responsible because he was experiencing psychosis and believed he was protecting his children from sexual abuse, though no evidence was heard suggesting they were being abused.

When the review board granted him escorted community outings, it said Schoenborn was diagnosed as having a delusional disorder, a substance abuse disorder and paranoid personality traits, but that his symptoms have been in remission for years.

The board said in its earlier written decision that Schoenborn has suffered "significant negative attention'' while in custody because of the notoriety of his offences including taunts, name-calling, threats and physical assault.

The Crown has also filed a separate court application to have Schoenborn designated a high-risk accused, which would end the possibility of the outings and extend the time between annual review hearings up to three years.

The former Conservative government used Schoenborn as an example in 2014 to introduce the new designation, which can be applied to people found not criminally responsible because of mental disorder.

Schoenborn's next appearance in that case is scheduled for mid-June in the Supreme Court of British Columbia.